Africa

Kenya: Election Violence and Crime in Mombasa

Date: December 6th, 2007 |

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More than 14 million of Kenya’s 35 million citizens are registered to vote in the Dec. 27 election for a new president, parliament and local councils. As in past elections, this campaign has been plagued by violence. Since July, 35 people have been killed in election-related incidents, 13 in the last couple of weeks, and [read more]

Libya: Passport Rules Changed without Notice, Foreigners Refused Entry

Date: November 15th, 2007 |

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Without warning, Libya changed passport rules for foreign tourists Nov. 11, denying entry to foreigners not carrying an Arabic translation of their passports regardless of whether they had appropriate visas. Planeloads of European tourists were turned back after landing and 18 French citizens were stranded overnight before being allowed to leave Nov. 12. None [read more]

DR Congo: Rebels Take Over Virunga National Park, Threaten Mountain Gorillas

Date: September 5th, 2007 |

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Virunga National Park, home of the rare mountain gorillas in eastern Congo on the borders with Uganda and Rwanda, has been overrun by a rebel army fighting government forces. Some 10,000 refugees have fled to Uganda and park rangers have been forced to evacuate, leaving the gorillas unprotected. Fighting has occurred in the park and [read more]

Egypt: Security Increased at Cairo’s International Airport

Date: August 2nd, 2007 |

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Authorities have increased security at Cairo’s international airport amid concerns of potential terrorist attacks similar to those recently in Britain and Algeria. Part of the effort involves new police checkpoints with sniffer dogs on roads leading to and from the airport, and searching of all passengers instead of randomly selected individuals. Egypt had already tightened [read more]

South Africa: Criminals Follow Tourists from Airport, Rob Them at Hotels

Date: July 25th, 2007 |

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Criminal gangs appear to be targeting tourists arriving at the airport in Johannesburg, following them and robbing them outside their hotels. Five groups were robbed in July, two on July 15, the bandits making off with luggage, laptop computers, cameras, cell phones and wallets. Even the South African ambassador to the UN was followed from [read more]

Democratic Republic of Congo: New Nature Reserve Created to Protect Great Apes

Date: November 20th, 2007 |

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In conjunction with U.S. agencies and conservation groups, Congo has established a new rain forest reserve of almost 12,000 square miles for the bonobo, an ape sometimes called a pygmy chimpanzee that is more closely related to humans than to gorillas. The apes live only in the heart of the Congo Basin, Africa’s largest rain [read more]

Kenya: Kidnap Threat on Kiwayu Island; Possible Election Violence

Date: October 3rd, 2007 |

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The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi warned that Islamic extremists from Somalia may be planning to kidnap Westerners, especially U.S. citizens, on beaches in the Kiwayu Island tourist area and other beach sites on the northeast coast near Somalia. Kiwayu is in the Lamu archipelago, an area popular with Western travelers. The Embassy urged Americans to [read more]

South Africa: Table Mountain Muggings Prompt Call for Military Patrols

Date: August 29th, 2007 |

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Fifteen muggings in 14 days on Cape Town’s Table Mountain prompted the city’s top tourism official to ask the army to patrol the famous peak so visitors can explore it safely. Fifty-two rangers and 200 volunteers patrol the peak daily, but criminals have become adept at hiding among the mountain’s crags and vegetation to avoid [read more]

Spain: Canary Islands Wildfires Displace Thousands

Date: August 2nd, 2007 |

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Some 14,000 people have been evacuated from homes, hotels and campgrounds in the Canary Islands because of stubborn forest fires on two of the archipelago’s most visited islands. Fires on Tenerife and Gran Canaria have burned out of control since July 27, but luckily the infernos have been inland, mostly away from the coastal tourist [read more]

Morocco: EU and Israel Warn Morocco of Terrorist Attacks

Date: July 11th, 2007 |

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European Union intelligence officials have warned Morocco of imminent terrorist attacks and asked for increased security at Western embassies and tourist sites. According to the Arabic-language newspaper Al Ahdath al Maghriba, EU officials named the sites that have been targeted and said attacks are almost certain to occur. Israeli ministers also informed Moroccan officials of [read more]